2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jakway
An English surname likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a location once called "Jakway".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Jakway. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jakway surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Jakway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jakway, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jakway
The surname Jakway has its origins in England and is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "iacob" and "weg," meaning "Jacob's way" or "Jacob's road," suggesting a connection to a location or travel route associated with someone named Jacob.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jakway can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a certain John Jakway is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 13th century. Another early reference is in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1322, which lists a William Jakway.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Jakway appeared in various historical records across different regions of England. For instance, a John Jakway was born in Staffordshire in 1587, while a Thomas Jakway was recorded in the parish registers of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, in 1612.
The Jakway surname has also been linked to several place names, such as Jackway in Worcestershire and Jackway Lane in Buckinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, which include Jakkeway, Jakwaye, and Jakway.
Notable individuals with the surname Jakway throughout history include:
1. Edward Jakway (1580-1642), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark in the early 17th century.
2. Richard Jakway (1640-1706), a Puritan minister and author from Hertfordshire, known for his religious writings such as "The Practical Expositor of the Holy Scriptures."
3. Sarah Jakway (1702-1778), a renowned English herbalist and midwife who practiced in Gloucestershire and authored several works on medicinal plants.
4. Thomas Jakway (1771-1842), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy.
5. William Jakway (1810-1892), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the Bank of England.
While the Jakway surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its history can be traced back several centuries in England, where it has been associated with various occupations, locations, and notable individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jakway
Among Census respondents with the surname Jakway, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jakway bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jakway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 115
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jakway
Jakway appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-15 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,068 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 20,068 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jakway surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jakway bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Jakway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jakway?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Jakway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Jakway?
Jakway ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Jakway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jakway.
Has Jakway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jakway went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Jakway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jakway, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jakway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jakway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jakway (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jakway mean?
An English surname likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a location once called "Jakway". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jakway (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Jakway?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Jakway on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.